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Director at the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI), Dr. Fitzroy Henry, has said that the HIV/AIDS epidemic was posing a “formidable challenge” to the region and threatening to erode some of the gains made in healthcare over the last 50 years.
He pointed out that in Jamaica, an estimated 50 persons, between 20 to 40 years, died each month from the disease. “That is a significant number, and when you think of the age group! This thing is killing people between 20 and 40 years-old, which is the productive group in our society,” he stated.
Dr. Henry was addressing the launch of the CFNI handbook: ‘Healthy Eating for Better Living’ at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in St. James recently. The handbook, which has been launched in 13 other Caribbean countries, is a nutritional and dietary guide for persons infected with the HIV virus and caregivers.
He pointed out that responsible sexual behaviour was the key to controlling the spread of the disease, but said it was equally important for those already infected to know how to take proper care of their bodies so as to prolong their lives. He emphasised that proper nutrition was important in the treatment process, and the publication would assist in this process.
The production of the handbook is part of a project financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which involves organizing training workshops across the region, targeted at people living with HIV/AIDS and caregivers.
The Jamaican workshop started on Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort and ends today (Sept. 3).